Starting Monday on Sunday

There’s something about ending a weekend and gearing up for the work week that can bring out the tension in me. I can feel it when it happens.

About 6 p.m. Sunday, sometimes earlier, I tend to put aside the relaxation and fun of the weekend and begin my Monday morning by turning my thoughts to the work responsibilities I will face that next morning. After all, many of us know Mondays can be too jam-packed to finish in one day, and it’s good to get a head start.

It’s not that I don’t like my job. I do. There’s so much to like about it ... getting to meet interesting people around the county, having the privilege of informing the public about what’s going on in their communities, and enjoying the opportunity to experience a lot of events from an inside view. And, in my opinion, my BCR colleagues are the best in the county.

But even with jobs that we like, there is a pace that picks up on Monday mornings and too often on Sunday evenings, at least for me. It’s a pace that can make me feel anxious and wondering if I will get everything accomplished and on time.

On Monday morning, I know there can be phone calls to be made, interviews to be completed, emails and messages to be returned, and articles to be written. And right behind me, three desks away from mine, is the clock on the wall, reminding deadline time is approaching.

I think that’s just the name of the work game for many of us, whatever our jobs are.

In some ways, it’s good to get that work adrenaline going, to step up the pace a bit, to focus and to strive to get everything done just right and under deadline. I just don’t think we need to do it on Sundays.

A couple Sunday evenings ago, I decided life is too short to live it in advance. For me, my work week begins on Monday, not Sunday evening.

So this last Sunday evening, about 6 p.m., I made myself a glass of ice tea, grabbed my Sudoku book and headed to the living room to join my husband. I still had some relaxing to do before the work week began.

Several years ago, I read a quote attributed to missionary Jim Elliott who said “Wherever you are, be all there.”

I’ve thought about that quote a lot through the years. If I ever wanted to carry a message with me by getting a tattoo, that would be a good choice for me. But I’m not much for pain, so I don’t think I will get a tattoo any time soon.

But still, Jim Elliott’s message is with me.

I’ve tried to apply that message by giving people my undivided attention when I’m talking with them and by not worrying about possible, but unlikely, things that could happen in the future to me or my loved ones.

And now, I’m going to do my best to apply that message to how I live my Sunday evenings.